The Southern End Of The Silvertown Tunnel
This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the Southern end of the Silvertown Tunnel.
Note.
- The O2 Arena at the top of the map in the middle.
- The blue arrow below it, which indicates North Greenwich station.
- The two dotted white lines show the route of the Silvertown Tunnel.
- The two silver-grey lines that loop across the top part of the map are the Jubilee Line.
- The black dotted line between the Jubilee Line and the Silvertown Tunnel is the cable car.
This second OpenRailwayMap shows the Silvertown Tunnel’s junction with the approach to the Blackwall Tunnel.
Note.
- The two dotted white lines show the route of the Silvertown Tunnel.
- Studio 338, which is a music and arts venue, is indicated by the double quaver.
- The site to the North of Studio 338 is labelled the East Greenwich Gas Works.
- The roads to the Northbound tunnel bores of both tunnels, split to the West of Studio 338.
- The roads from the Northbound tunnel bores of both tunnels, join to the West of Studio 338.
This Google Map shows the same area as the previous map.
Note.
- Studio 338 is clearly marked.
- To its North is a circular structure on the site labelled as the East Greenwich Gas Works on the previous map.
- Could this be the remains of a gas holder?
Could it be that the works to the West of the circular structure are the start of tunneling?
Conclusion
It looks to me, that the designers of the Silvertown Tunnel have been able to squeeze in a junction between the approaches to the two tunnels, that should be fairly free-flowing.
Ruby Wax, Melanie Brown and Emily Atack Climb Pikes Peak
I have just watched these three ladies climb Pikes Peak in Colorado.
Around the age of 18, I used to regularly read the American car magazine; Road & Track and was fascinated to read about the annual hill climb, that took place on the 14,000 foot Pikes Peak.
I am surprised that the hill climb up Pikes Peak was not mentioned in the program.
I have only driven at anywhere near that height once, although, I flew my Cessna 340 at 24,000 ft several times.
When C and I had a memorable holiday in Ecuador, we took a small Chevrolet Metro, up to about 12,000 feet in the Andes.
Cars cough badly at that altitude!
Britain’s Longest Road Tunnel Could Be Built Along A27
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in The Argus.
These three paragraphs outline the scheme.
The longest road tunnel in the UK could be built as a long-term solution to congestion along the A27.
The tunnel, which would cost around £2 billion, has been touted as a way of addressing traffic and a way to improve local quality of life.
A new report by Transport for the South East (TfSE) said investing in such schemes is the only way carbon emissions from congested road traffic can be seriously tackled and improve.
The article also states, that the project is unlikely to be started before 2050.
These are my thoughts.
Where Will The Tunnel Be Built?
This Google Map shows Worthing.
Note.
- The A27 road runs roughly across the top of the map.
- The A27 has sections of dual-carriageway.
- There are two roundabouts, where the A27 connects with the A24 road between London and Worthing via Sutton, Dorking and Horsham.
- The West Coastway Line runs across the middle of the map.
- Four of the five stations in Worthing are visible.
- From East to West the stations are East Worthing, Worthing, West Worthing and Durrington-on-Sea, with Goring-by-Sea off the map to the West.
This Google Map shows the section of the A27 to the West of the A24.
Note.
- The A27 goes all the way across the map.
- There is a large junction with the A280 at the Western edge of the map.
- There is a large roundabout at the junction with the A24, at the Eastern edge of the map.
- The Western half of the A27 between the two junctions, appears to be dual-carriageway.
- The A27 continues in the West as a dual-carriageway between the junction with the A280, almost as far as Arundel.
I suspect the Western portal of the tunnel would be close to the junction with the A280 and for much of the route, it could be bored under the A27 to minimise noise and vibration for those living along the route.
This third Google Map shows the section of the A27 to the East of the A24.
Note.
- The A27 goes all the way across the map.
- It shares a route with the A24 between the two roundabouts towards the West of the map.
- The Eastern section of the A27 appears to be dual-carriageway.
- T27 continues in the East to the North of Shoreham and Brighton and the South of Lewes.
I suspect the Eastern portal of the tunnel would be close to the Western end of the dual-carriageway section to Lewes and for much of the route, it could be bored under the A27 and A24 to minimise noise and vibration for those living along the route.
As we’re good at tunneling in the UK, I don’t think this will be a difficult tunnel to bore.
What Should We Do In The Interim?
The article in the Argus says this.
Should the plans go ahead, the tunnel could be ready for construction by 2050, with a range of other measures proposed to cut congestion in the short term.
2050 is a long time to wait.
I haven’t driven in the area much in the last twenty years, as even before I didn’t drive, I’ve tended to take the train to places like Brighton, Eastbourne, Portsmouth and Southampton.
In my experience the East and West Coastway Lines along the South Coast have reasons, why people drive for preference.
- The trains are not frequent enough. There should be four trains per hour (tph) if possible.
- There needs to be more direct train services to London and Gatwick Airport.
- Some of the stations are not very passenger-friendly. More step-free access is needed.
- Some of the stations can’t handle twelve-car trains.
- The Class 313 trains, that are used to the West of Brighton, were built in the 1970s. Similar trains of that period in the rest of the UK, have either been replaced or will soon be.
- Is there enough car parking?
- Could some closed stations be reopened?
- Could Park-and-Ride facilities be built, where the A27 crosses the railway?
- Would it help, if the West and East Coastway Lines didn’t need a change at Brighton?
- Would a high speed service between Eastbourne and London via Hastings and High Speed One attract leisure passengers.
An improved railway might reduce traffic on the A27.
Perhaps the easiest improvement would be to replace all the East and West Coastway fleet with new or refurbished trains with the following specification.
- 100 mph operation.
- High-class well-designed interior matched to the passenger mix.
- Ability to handle the Marshlink Line and other sections without electrification.
- Wi-fi and power sockets.
- A refreshment trolley might be a good idea.
A marketing campaign might help.
Speed Limit To Be Lowered To 20mph In Wales
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
These four paragraphs describe the policy.
Speed limits in built-up areas look set to be reduced from 30mph to 20mph in Wales from next year – a UK first that is controversial among some drivers.
Ministers say a 20mph speed limit will lower road collisions and traffic noise and encourage people to walk and cycle.
The slower limit has been divisive in areas where there have been trials with some motorists complaining of more congestion and journeys taking longer.
The proposed new law will be put before a Welsh Parliament vote on Tuesday.
I’m not sure that it will work.
I live in a 20 mph zone in Hackney.
But cars and motor bikes still speed through at up to 50 mph, as there is no visible enforcement.
‘New Era’ As German Coalition Prioritises Rail Spending Over Road
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the first paragraph.
The so-called ‘traffic light coalition’ formed by the Social Democratic, Green and Free Democratic parties as the next federal government has committed to launching a ‘Rapid Capacity Expansion’ to enhance railway infrastructure as part of its wider transport strategy.
Other policies would include.
- A national regular interval timetable as a matter of priority.
- Increasing rail’s share of the freight transport market from the current 19% to 25% by 2030.
- Doubling passenger traffic by the end of the decade.
- Electrify 75 % of the network by 2030.
- Road tolls for trucks would be increased to reflect CO2 emissions.
- New commercial and industrial developments would be mandated to examine the potential for incorporating a rail connection.
- A pressure group, whose name translates as Alliance Pro Rail is in favour.
But will the average German voter in their Audi, BMW, Mercedes or Volkswagen cruising down the autobahn be in favour?
It certainly looks like it will be all change on German railways and roads.
The article is also linked to three in depth articles on the future of German railways published by Railway Gazette in the last few months.
- Comment: Climate Goals To Trump Profits
- German Associations Seek More Competition In Second Rail Reform
- Rail Reopenings To Support Climate-Friendly Transport
It certainly is all change.
The East Coast Main Line And The A14
I finally managed to get pictures of the new route of the A14 as it crosses over the East Coast Main Line.
This Google Map shows the crossing from above.
I do wonder, why in the 1990s, when they created the A14, they didn’t do a proper job?
But then history shows that Governments don’t seem to get East-West links in the UK right.
- Road and rail links across the Pennines are inadequate.
- Only recently have Edinburgh and Glasgow been properly connected by rail.
- The electrification of the Great Western Railway between London and Swansea has been an on-off project, that should have been done after electrification of the East Coast Main Line, before the team of engineers had been disbanded.
- Road and rail links to the port of Holyhead were ignored for years and could be improved again.
- The Varsity Line between Oxford and Cambridge was recommended by Beeching to be kept, but Harold Wilson closed it and now we are recreating it.
Is it because none of these routes are of much importance for politicians and civil servants living in London?
If We Have More Electric Cars Do We Need More Parkway Stations?
We are all being encouraged by carrot-and-stick methods to change to zero-carbon vehicles.
And it’s not just from Government and environmental activists!
I was recently asked on a train, if I drove an electric car, by the guy sitting opposite me at a table. He told me, that his ten-year-old BMW needed replacing and his daughters were pestering him to get an electric car.
- He had looked into it and said he could afford one.
- However like many, he was worried about the battery range.
- He also said charging at home would not be a problem, as he lived in a house with parking for three cars and could install his own grid-to-vehicle charger.
- I asked him what he did and like my late wife; C, he was a family barrister.
C would drive thousands of miles a year to Court from our house in Suffolk in her Porsche Boxster, to places like Bedford, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Milton Keynes, Norwich, Southend and Yarmouth. Only when she went to London did she use a train from Whittlesford Parkway station.
There are a lot of people like family barristers, where their profession dictates that they travel long distances by car to a variable place of work.
Purchase of an electric car, for some drivers may turn out to be a worrying one, as will they always find a charger at the other end of their journey, to charge the vehicle to get home.
I can see parkway stations like Whittlesford developing into electric parkway stations, where most parking spaces have a charger.
- Parking could be booked, as in many railway car parks.
- Some stations could probably host one or more wind turbines.
- The vehicle batteries with the appropriate grid-to-vehicle technology could be used as grid storage.
Get the technology and the locations right and I can see more parkway stations being developed.
It might also be the sort of infrastructure project that a financial institution like L & G might finance.
Stonehenge Tunnel Campaigners Win Court Battle
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the first part of the BBC article.
Campaigners have won a court battle to prevent the “scandalous” construction of a road tunnel near Stonehenge.
The £1.7bn Highways England project aimed to reduce A303 congestion but campaigners said it would detrimentally affect the world heritage site.
The government approved plans in 2020 for a two-mile (3.2km) tunnel to be created near the Wiltshire monument.
Mr Justice Holgate’s ruling means the order granted by transport secretary Grant Shapps has been quashed.
I obtained my driving licence in 1964 and since then the A303 past Stonehenge has been a worsening bottleneck.
I suspect that unreleased papers from successive governments since the 1960s would show that most Ministers of Transport hoped the problem of Stonehenge would be solved by the next Government of a different colour, which would hopefully lose them the next election.
If you read the whole of the BBC article you’ll see a large map from Highways England.
Note.
- The proposed tunnel is shown as a dotted red line to the South of Stonehenge, more or less following the line of the current A303.
- The Amesbury by-pass already exists in the East.
- A new Winterbourne Stoke by-pass will be built in the West.
Some feel that a longer tunnel might be the solution.
But it would probably need to start to the West of Winterbourne Stoke and be at least three times longer than the proposed tunnel.
So this short stretch of road would then probably cost around £5billion.
Can We Reduce The Traffic On This Road?
There are several ways that traffic might be reduced.
Universal Road Pricing
Every vehicle would be fitted with a meter, which charged drivers depending on the following.
- The type of vehicle.
- The congestion on the road.
- The speed, at which the vehicle is travelling.
It might work, but any government introducing universal road pricing would lose the next General Election by a landslide.
Tolls On Parts Of The A303
Again it might work and push drivers to find other routes.
Improve Other Routes Like The M4
As capacity is increased on other routes, drivers could be lured away from the busy section of the A303 around Stonehenge.
Improve Rail Services Between Paddington And West Of Exeter
I know because of friends, who regularly go to Devon and \Cornwall for both weekends and longer holidays, that many people go to the far-South West by car and most will use the A303 route to and from London.
These services are run by Great Western Railway and the destinations in the South West are not as comprehensive as they could be.
- GWR’s Class 802 trains can split and join efficiently, which could mean they could serve more destinations with the same number of trains.
- GWR seem to be in favour of developing more direct services between London and Bodmin, Okehampton and other places.
- GWR are adding stations to their network in the South-West.
But most importantly, GWR, Hitachi and the Eversholt Rail Group are developing the Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, which will lower carbon-emissions on the route. This Hitachi infographic describes the train.
These trains could attract numbers of car drivers to use the train, rather than drive.
Improve The Night Riviera Between Paddington And Penzance
Most other sleeper trains in Europe have renewed their fleet.
An improvement in the rolling stock could encourage more people to travel this way.
Improve Rail Services Between Waterloo And Exeter
The rail line between Waterloo and Exeter via Basingstoke and Salisbury runs within a dozen miles of Stonehenge.
- The rolling stock is thirty-year-old British Rail diesel trains.
- It is not electrified to the West of Basingstoke.
- There are portions of single-track railway.
The Waterloo and Exeter line could be improved.
- Remove some sections of single track.
- Upgrade the operating speed to up to 100 mph in places.
- Use a version of the latest Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train
- Add some new stations.
I believe the quality, frequency and journey times of the service could all be improved.
Would this second fast route from the South-West encourage more to take the train?
Stonehenge And Wilton Junction Station
Stonehenge may be the problem, but it can also be part of the solution.
In The Proposal For Stonehenge And Wilton Junction Station, I write about an innovative proposal, that uses a car park at a new station to create a Park-And-Ride for both Stonehenge and Salisbury.
This could bring more visitors to Stonehenge without their cars.
Conclusion
None of these proposals will take vast amounts of pressure from the A303. But every little helps.
Some like the decarbonisation of rail services will have to be done anyway.
Walthamstow’s Funereal Style Road Barriers
These pictures show how Walthamstow has blocked off roads in the Borough.
They do remind me very much of the sort of designs you see in the windows of undertakers.
Silicon Roundabout – 6th January 2021
I took these pictures from the top deck of a 21 bus going North from Moorgate to home.
Note.
The Anonymous Widower 